Boxing
Ali takes only a minute to win first female pro fight in Saudi
British-Somali super-bantamweight Ramla Ali took little more than a minute on Saturday to win the first sanctioned female professional boxing bout held in Saudi Arabia.
The 32-year-old stopped Crystal Garcia Nova after one minute and five seconds of the first round in Jeddah with a smacking right hand to the chin, sending the Dominican’s mouthguard flying out of the ring.
The technical knockout, on the undercard to the heavyweight title clash between Ukraine’s defending world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Anthony Joshua, took Ali’s pro record to seven wins from seven fights.
“I feel like I need to go back and do some more pads. I didn’t really get out of first gear,” she told Sky Sports television.
The 2020 Olympian, a former refugee who fought in Tokyo for Somalia and has modelled for fashion magazines, said she hoped to get a world title shot sooner rather than later.
“It will be nice to get a 10-rounder in next,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to having a little break now. My last two fights I’ve been training and competing with a fractured wrist and fractured toe.
“I really need to take some time off now. This was just such a massive opportunity I couldn’t say no to (it) even though I was in the world of pain.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn said the evening was about making history.
“World titles are nice but this is historic, this is legacy in itself,” he said.
“World championships in 2023 definitely… I believe she will be a world champion next year.”
Ali had drawn criticism from rights campaigners for describing Saudi Arabia as a ‘very progressive country’ in the run-up to the fight.
Aug 20 (Reuters) – British-Somali super-bantamweight Ramla Ali took little more than a minute on Saturday to win the first sanctioned female professional boxing bout held in Saudi Arabia.
The 32-year-old stopped Crystal Garcia Nova after one minute and five seconds of the first round in Jeddah with a smacking right hand to the chin, sending the Dominican’s mouthguard flying out of the ring.
The technical knockout, on the undercard to the heavyweight title clash between Ukraine’s defending world champion Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Anthony Joshua, took Ali’s pro record to seven wins from seven fights.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
“I feel like I need to go back and do some more pads. I didn’t really get out of first gear,” she told Sky Sports television.
The 2020 Olympian, a former refugee who fought in Tokyo for Somalia and has modelled for fashion magazines, said she hoped to get a world title shot sooner rather than later.
“It will be nice to get a 10-rounder in next,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to having a little break now. My last two fights I’ve been training and competing with a fractured wrist and fractured toe.
“I really need to take some time off now. This was just such a massive opportunity I couldn’t say no to (it) even though I was in the world of pain.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn said the evening was about making history.
“World titles are nice but this is historic, this is legacy in itself,” he said.
“World championships in 2023 definitely… I believe she will be a world champion next year.”
Ali had drawn criticism from rights campaigners for describing Saudi Arabia as a ‘very progressive country’ in the run-up to the fight.
“This fight is yet more sportswashing as Saudi Arabia tries once again to distract from its appalling human rights record,” said Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s head of priority campaigns.
-Reuters
Oleksandr Usyk will put his WBC heavyweight title belt on the line against Dutch kickboxer Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza, Ring Magazine announced on Friday.
The Ukrainian three-times undisputed champion holds the IBF, WBA and WBC titles after vacating the WBO belt.
The 39-year-old has not boxed since beating Britain’s Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium last July.
“I respect his (Verhoeven’s) journey – he’s truly the ‘King of Kickboxing’. But this is boxing – a different game, with its own rules and its own kings,” said Usyk, who has a 24-0 record.
“I’m ready and looking forward to meeting him in the ring. It’s going to be a unique experience for both of us, and I know the fans are excited too. A big night is coming.”
The ‘Glory in Giza’ fight will be streamed live on DAZN.
“I spent 12 years as the undisputed heavyweight kickboxing champion and accomplished everything I set out to accomplish,” Verhoeven, 36, told The Ring.
“But staying at the top for that long didn’t take away from the hunger; it strengthened it. Usyk is the undisputed champion in boxing. That’s the kind of challenge that motivated me. Undisputed versus undisputed.”
Verhoeven has sparred in the past with former champion Tyson Fury and had one professional bout in 2014, which he won by a knockout.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao will face off in a professional rematch at the Sphere in Las Vegas in September, with the bout streaming globally on Netflix, the fighters and promoters announced on Monday.
The fight marks Mayweather’s return from retirement and will be the first professional boxing match held at the Sphere.
Mayweather, who holds a perfect 50-0 record with 27 knockouts, defeated Pacquiao in their 2015 encounter dubbed the “Fight of the Century.”
That bout generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys and a $72 million live gate at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” Mayweather said in a statement.
Pacquiao, whose record stands at 62-8-3 with 39 knockouts, expressed confidence he would hand Mayweather his first professional loss.
“I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him,” the Filipino fighter said.
The rematch will stream to Netflix’s more than 325 million subscribers worldwide, continuing the platform’s push into live boxing.
The streaming platform has recently broadcast several high-profile fights, including Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson, which the company said drew 108 million live global viewers
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Former multi-weight world boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will come out of retirement this year for his first official fight in nearly a decade, his new promotion CSI Sports/Fight Sports said on Friday, though his opponent has yet to be decided.
Before his official return, Mayweather is set for an exhibition bout with fellow boxing great Mike Tyson, with the date and venue still to be announced.
“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing – from my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards – no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event – than my events,” Mayweather, 48, said in a statement on his new promotion’s website.
It will mark the American’s fourth comeback from retirement, following previous exits in 2007, 2015 and 2017 — the last after beating Conor McGregor to extend his record to 50-0. He has, however, fought several exhibitions since.
Across a three-decade career, Mayweather defeated many of his era’s top fighters and headlined the three highest‑grossing bouts in history, against Manny Pacquiao, McGregor and Canelo Alvarez.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- WAFCON4 days ago
BREAKING: CAF Postpones WAFCON 2026
- World Cup16 hours ago
Iraq coach calls for delay to World Cup playoff amid travel shutdown
- DIPLOMACY17 hours ago
Morocco Backs Gulf Security, Condemns Iranian Attacks Against Brotherly Arab States
- OBITUARY6 days ago
Nigerian Sports Journalism Mourns Oyeniyi Oyeleke and Tonex Chukwu
- MLS1 week ago
Trump to Host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at the White House
- World Cup6 days ago
‘I really don’t care’ if Iran plays in World Cup, Trump tells Politico
- World Cup5 days ago
Iraq’s World Cup Playoff in Doubt as War Disrupts Travel and Visa Processing
- FA Cup2 days ago
Eze thunderbolt guides Arsenal past Mansfield into FA Cup quarter-finals